The giant's appearance has also been witnessed by many others in the small
town off Maine, Rockwell, and rumours of its existence have not escaped the
notice of, Special Investigator, Kent Mansely.
Hogarth takes his new found friend to a nearby scrapyard owned by Dean, a
Beatnik of the era the film is set in, the 1950's, to feed and to hide and
their friendship blossoms.
The film is rather slow moving, doesn't initially go anywhere, but it is a
rather enjoyable piece of viewing. There is some excellent animation in
evidence and the screenplay works well.
As a story of friendship between a boy and a robot, it all plods along merrily,
but it's not until Mansely brings in the military to destroy the robot,
revealing the full horror of his cold war, anti-soviet mentality, that the
film's message hits home.
With soldiers attacking the robot, because they don't know what it is, it soon
switches into defensive mode and gives out as much as it gets, until Mansely,
against all rational advice, calls in the nuclear missiles.
With Mansely's action threatening to destroy the townsfolk of Rockwell, the Iron
Giant makes the supreme sacrifice to save Hogarth and the rest of the populous.
A sacrifice delivered on film with only a small hint of sentimentality but it
conjures up a heap of sadness.
The giant, in a well executed finale, is seen to have survived his destruction,
leaving everyone happy, but not without a small tear in the eye.
The keen observations along the way on the futility of America's long scorned,
Duck and Cover, response to nuclear annihilation and humanity's trigger
happy approach to destroy or trample underfoot anything they don't understand
provide a strong moral lesson, although it's likely to be over the heads of the
younger members of the audience.
In some ways it's hard to see the level the film was pitched at. Those who are
too young to grasp the moral points raised will probably see it as visual
wallpaper without the excitement or thrills delivered by Toy Story,
Antz or A Bugs Life; the story belongs to yesteryear along with
Enid Blyton and The Famous Five.
Those who are mature enough to see the message are also likely to see the rest
as wallpaper; admittedly good wallpaper, but it lacked substance as the story,
although pleasant, flowed.
It is not a film which is going to capture the hearts of everyone but it may
just turn a few of the future generation into better people as they grow up.
And it was a pleasant, if brief, escape into a story where human interest was
far more important than laser wielding, extra-terrestrials hell-bent on
destroying one another or the planet.
